Dharma Vahini - Post 44

Dear All,

Now, let us deal with Atma Dharma and Svadharma with respect to our purushartha, the relevance of all our acts while living in this objective world. 

The  four Purusharthas - Dharma / Artha / Kama / Moksha have been dealt in great detail in karma posts as well in an earlier post under the current theme.

In the context of Atma-Dharma, one of the 4, Moksha or liberation or Merger with God has to be only focus, which has been repeatedly mentioned in all the previous posts.

So, the other three  purusharthas, especially 2 of them,  Artha (pursuit of material wealth and comforts) and Kama (fulfillment of aesthetic desires) have been shown under the bigger rectangle of Atma Dharma which is Moksha in this context. 

What does this mean in the context of Artha and Kama?

Artha

• As human beings, living in society, having our family, we have to engage in activities for earning wealth and related comforts.
• Even while we pursue various activities for the above purpose, either working in an organization and earning salary or owning an organization and earning profits or even while doing hard work and getting paid on daily wages, our frame of mind has to be exactly the same, as explained in the context of a Bhajan singer entering the hall on Bhajan day.
• So to say, the heart is soaked in its focus on merger with Lord. Along with such a  heart, all other virtues required in earning wealth - Honesty, Loyalty, Integrity, Avoiding excessive desire for wealth, not adapting unfair means for earning wealth etc., automatically come together!!
• The rule applied is the same here also as in the case of Bhajan singing. There is no use talking in vacuum on all principles of honesty, control of desires etc., if one is not clear on his / her ultimate goal. How??
• See, if your heart is illumined by your focus on Lord, then such a heart will in turn, will illumine all your actions while pursuing Artha.
• If such illumination is not there and you try to talk of principles and good virtues in vacuum, there is a lot of possibility that your monkey mind will dominate you in one way or the other, one day or the other and you may end up acting as slave to the dictates of your mind.

Kama

• As regards fulfillment of your aesthetic desires, the desires at physical level etc., again, if you are convinced and have conviction to be in communion with Lord, to merge with Lord, then, all the required virtues in this aspect will fall in place automatically

Author recalls a conversation between Swami and a devotee, though he has given it in an earlier post also. 

To a devotee who cried out to Lord to be always present in his heart as Hrdaya Nivasi, Swami turned back and said, 

"You want Me to come and stay (rather install) in your heart. Well, have you ever looked at your heart where you want Swami to come and stay for ever. How dirty is it, How many desires in it.., please clean up your heart, as you clean your house before a guest comes to stay with you and then call Swami, Swami will rush to you".

• So, when we keep our heart pure, then Swami is there in our heart. When He is present, can we have excessive Kama?? Can we always be indulging and craving for physical pleasures?? Can we adapt immoral means for satisfying our desires??? Never.

• So, what happens?? Our physical / aesthetic desire fulfillment is confined to our spouse and that too, it assumes as much importance as spiritual pursuits which we take up with our spouse together. Nothing is over done!!!

Love.